03211500 - Committee for Public Counsel Services

Account

Description

FY2013Spending

FY2014GAA

0321-1500

Committee for Public Counsel Services For the operation of the committee for public counsel services under chapter 211D of the General Laws; provided, that the committee shall maintain a system in which not less than 25 per cent of indigent clients shall be represented by public defenders; provided further, that to the extent feasible, the committee shall assign public defenders to district and superior courts; provided further, that the committee must approve by majority vote any increase in the base salary or rate of compensation for employees holding management positions including, but not limited to, chiefs, deputy chiefs, directors, assistant directors, and managers; provided further, that the committee shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on the judiciary and the house and senate committees on ways and means on November 28, 2013 that shall include, but not be limited to the following, which shall be delineated by type of case and courthouse when applicable: (a) the number of clients assisted by the committee in each month of the prior fiscal year, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate; (b) the total number of cases handled by public defenders in the prior fiscal year; (c) the total number of cases handled by private bar advocates in the prior fiscal year; (d) the total amount of counsel fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered in the prior fiscal year; (e) the total amount of indigent but able to contribute fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered in the prior fiscal year; (f) the number of public defenders that have been hired, both to date and since the previous fiscal year; (g) the number of public defender vacancies to be filled; (h) the total billable hours of private bar advocates in the prior fiscal year; (i) the average cost for public defender services rendered per client in the prior fiscal year; and (j) the average cost for private bar advocate services rendered per client in the prior fiscal year; provided further, that the committee shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on the judiciary and the house and senate committees on ways and means on October 1, 2013 and March 3, 2014 that shall include, but not be limited to the following, and shall be delineated by type of case and courthouse where applicable: (a) the number of clients assisted by the committee in each month since the start of the current fiscal year, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate; (b) the total number of cases handled by the committee in each month since the start of the current fiscal year, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate; (c) the average cost for public defender services rendered per client since the start of the current fiscal year; (d) the average cost for private bar advocate services rendered per client since the start of the current fiscal year; (e) the average number of hours spent per case by public defenders since the start of the current fiscal year; (f) the average number of hours billed by private bar advocates since the start of the current fiscal year; (g) the total amount of counsel fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered since the start of the current fiscal year; (h) the total of indigent but able to contribute fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered since the start of the current fiscal year; (i) the current percentage of indigent defendants represented by public defenders by division and court house; (j) the current number of public defenders and private bar advocates assigned to each court house and division; (k) the number of former private bar advocates that have been hired as public defenders since the start of fiscal year 2012; (l) the total number of support staff, investigators, attorneys in charge and management personnel currently employed by the committee and the total number employed by the committee at the end of fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2013; (m) the caseload of attorneys in charge compared to the caseload of public defender staff attorneys; (n) the expected surplus or deficiency for fiscal year 2014 of items 0321-1500, 0321-1504, 0321-1510 and 0321-1520; (o) the number and cost of private investigators used since the start of the current fiscal year, delineated by firm; (p) the number, cost and cost per hour of psychologists and psychiatrists used by private bar advocates since the start of the current fiscal year, delineated by firm; and (q) the number, cost and cost per hour of psychologists and psychiatrists used by public defenders since the start of the current fiscal year, delineated by firm; provided further, that the committee shall continue to work with the division of capital asset management and maintenance to ensure that public defenders hired during the committee's expansion shall have access to adequate office space; and provided further, that the committee shall provide full cooperation to the evaluator selected under item 1599-1300 of section 2 of chapter 139 of the acts of 2012 and shall make available to the evaluator any information and data needed to assist with the requirements of the item